Check Up

Posted on Mon Aug 3rd, 2020 @ 9:31pm by Captain Gary Alexander & Lieutenant Audrey Chester

856 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 2 - Encounters of a First Kind
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: 2168/07/28 1300

A Captain's job was not just running a ship. It also was to keep up the ship's morale. Being cut off from home was going to affect more people than not. One person that Gary knew that this might hit hardest was his Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Audrey Chester. She had a husband and kids. She sacrificed everything to be here. And now, she was alone.

He had to check on her. If her own trauma affected the crew, a bad situation could become worse. The Chief Medical Officer, Fiona Stanzel, had not mentioned anything, but then again, she might be terribly busy. So, a personal check up was necessary.

Striding into sickbay, he looked around and asked, "Doctor Chester?"

Audrey looked up from the nasty sprained ankle she was treating.

"Hey Captain," she nodded her head politely, motioning for the med tech nearby to take over. "One second - Melissa, make sure you get the swelling down before wrapping it up. Mister Colville, try not to fall into anymore open hatches, hey?"

She pushed her wheelie chair back from the examination bed, removed her gloves, and moved over to the CO.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

Gary looked over Audrey. She had a bit of extra flesh here and there but that was to be expected from having had children. She was still an attractive woman. The fact that she was apparently holding up so well was a credit to her. "If I could have a moment of your time in your office?" he asked sensitively.

Audrey nodded curtly and tossed her gloves into the laundry hamper nearby. "Surely, Sir."

'Now what,' she wondered as she lead the captain to her office, 'is he after now? Oh god... did he hear about all the boatswains contracting scabies?'

She tapped the button which turned the window between her office and the sickbay opaque, and settled into her chair with a sigh. "Can I get you anything to drink, Sir? I've got a stash of actual coffee tucked away here."

"That would be lovely," Gary responded kindly as he silently wondered if there would be any coffee that could be replaced out here.

As she set up the coffee pot, Audrey gave the Captain a brief update on the few members who'd sustained serious injuries during the incident.

She set the steaming cups down on the table next to the cream and sugar, and took her seat again with a sigh. "So, Sir, other than the coffee what has brought you to my office?"

"I came to check up on you," he told her sincerely. "It must be rather difficult knowing that going home is a remote possibility at best. Perhaps some of your patients are helping you keep your mind off of it but who heals the healer?"

Audrey hid her expression behind her coffee cup.

She took a moment to compose herself and set the cup back down. "Thank you, Sir. You're right... this isn't the easiest of circumstances." She paused for a moment, "I've been meaning to talk to a counselor, but she's been incredibly busy with everyone else."

Audrey took another sip and leaned back in her chair. "Mental health was obviously a large part of my work at the school, besides sprained ankles and STIs. I should be good... though I could probably use more socializing outside of work. So could everyone, really."

"I could not agree more; however, as you know, Horizon's facilities are somewhat limited. Sure, we have a gym, an arboretum that doubles for food, and some courts for racquet sports, the Daedalus ships were not built with pleasure in mind. Though, I am somewhat surprised to hear that you are taking such losses so calmly." Gary looked at Audrey concerned, his eyes trying to probe into Audrey's soul.

Audrey's eyes drifted down to a framed photo on her desk and she smiled sadly. "Oh, I'm about cried out for now. Gotta give the tear ducts a rest for a bit and focus on keeping everyone sane and safe so we can figure out a way back."

There was a quiet pause, and she managed to look back up from the photo.

"One of my nurses and I were thinking that social events might be good for morale. The shuttle bays should be big enough, with some rearranging, to hold at most of the crew at once." A project. Audrey needed a project, and morale events were one of her specialties. "We could do sports days, group PT, potlucks, even have a movie night and project films up on the bulkheads."

Gary nodded. "KAT suggested much of the same, though not in quite that detail. Perhaps that is something that the two of your could coordinate?"

Audrey smiled. "Excellent. How would you feel, in fact, about standing up a proper entertainment committee? Each section gets a rep - and not all officers, NCMs too - and we'll organize morale events."

"It sounds like a bang up idea. I should leave the two of you to it, then?"

“Very good sir.” Audrey nodded with a smile.

 

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